The experience of ‘stepping inside’ locations by wearing a Virtual Reality (VR) headset is surprisingly intense. The first time I tried one, I nearly pulled the contraption off in genuine fear as I viewed a demo where you stood on the edge of a multi-storey block. ‘Don’t jump off, don’t jump off,’ I muttered to myself – pleading with the computer artists who had created the scene in the first place.

The PlayStation VR headset and controllers

Birdly. This Oculus Rift app shows off the boundless scope of VR – it turns the user into a bird, flying high above a city. It was first shown off with a contraption that allowed users to lie down and fly by flapping their arms

That intensity is what has got film-makers excited about VR, with Steven Spielberg planning a film that can be viewed on VR headsets in 2017.

Although he did sound a note of caution: ‘I think we’re moving into a dangerous medium with virtual reality. It gives the viewer a lot of latitude not to take direction from the storytellers but make their own choices of where to look.’

The Imax cinema chain is also going to offer a VR centre, with ‘pods’ where users can experience 15-minute journeys to virtual worlds, some based on the special-effects of major Hollywood movies.

Virtual reality works via a headset with a screen inside, which tracks the motion of your head to let you see ‘inside’ a virtual world.

Broadly speaking, there are two kinds you’ll be able to buy and use at home – expensive sets like Oculus Rift, which need a PC to work and has a built-in screen, and cheaper ones such as Google Daydream View, which work by using your mobile phone for both the apps and the screen.

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For home users, the big problem with VR – that the first experiences often just let you look around, rather than do anything – is being fixed as 2017 dawns.

Google’s Daydream View headset has its own little controller for moving around within apps, bringing a whole new dimension to Google Street View. The Oculus Rift has also added its own controllers, and other firms are working on treadmills so you can actually walk around inside virtual environments.

You’ll also see VR being used increasingly by businesses. Thomas Cook has filmed ‘experiences’ using 360-degree cameras — similar to the ones on Google Street View cars — so customers can visit exotic locations while sitting in the travel agent’s offices.

For estate agents, the technology allows people to explore new properties via a headset rather than traipsing around town.

Georgina Wilczek, director of the upcoming VR and AR World conference, says, ‘Ikea sees virtual reality as playing a major role in the future of its customers, changing the way people plan the layout of their homes and shop for home furnishings.’

Many believe that VR will also change the way we use computers. Facebook hopes the technology will enable users to ‘meet’ in virtual environments – a hi-tech new take on how Facebook has already changed the world.

Facebook CTO Mike Schroepfer said the firm hopes its technology reaches a level by 2025 where using it is like ‘teleporting’ to another location: ‘Facebook wants to build a device that allows you to be anywhere you want, with anyone, regardless of geographic boundaries.’

What you need to go virtual

PlayStation VR

This is aimed squarely at gamers – and delivers high-quality thrills direct from PS4 (so you don’t need an expensive PC). The headset is comfortable, and it’s easy to set up. It’s not cheap, and it takes a while to load. Plus, playing it too long can make you feel a little seasick.

Requires: PlayStation4

Rating:

Playstation VR £349

Daydream View

For home use, this is about the best-value VR headset you can get – with the one snag being that (so far) the only phone it works with is Google’s pricey Pixel. It’s very easy to use, however, and looks far better than other cheap headsets. Crucially, it comes with its own controller to let you move around.

Requires: Google Pixel phone

Rating:

Google Daydream View, £69

Samsung Gear VR

Just above entry level, and all you need is a compatible phone or tablet. The headset is light, comfortable and the set-up easy. The quality is pretty decent and you blink to navigate. The image is mainly clean, the sound decent and the headset light.

Requires: Samsung phone

Rating:

Samsung Gear VR, £80

Oculus Rift

This doesn’t come cheap but it is pin-sharp, seriously thrilling VR. The headset is light and comfortable, the sound incredible and the different game demos breathtaking. The only problem is that you’ll need a seriously powerful computer to make it work. Virtually perfect.

Requires: PC

Rating:

Oculus Rift, £549

VR experiences to enjoy

The Climb: £39.99, Oculus Rift (oculus.com). Virtual reality is awful for anyone with a hint of vertigo (this includes me). If you suffer, steer well clear of this, a game where you claw your way up near-vertical surfaces

Fantastic Beasts And Where to Find Them: Free, Daydream View. Of the cheap headsets, Google’s Daydream View is by far the best – and the monsters in this Harry Potter adventure feel alarmingly real, like standing next to a living creature

First Life With David Attenborough: Free, Google Cardboard. It wouldn’t be a new technological frontier without Sir David’s dulcet tones to guide you through it. This lets you explore the dawn of life in the oceans

Inside The Hadron Collider: Free, Google Cardboard. The Large Hadron Collider is the most expensive building on Earth, but you have no idea how big it is until you watch this. It should be called the Very Large Hadron Collider

Arts & Culture: Free, Google Daydream View. Google’s app lets you explore 50 galleries from around the world, zooming into paintings so close that you can see the brush strokes, with audio guides